A strong community can promote new ideas and ensure accountability. It can also act as motivation, support, and even provide a little friendly competition. The power of community is undeniable and the Okanagan tech community is no exception.

Our community is strong and growing with record speed and maintaining a connection through a period of growth like this can be a challenge. Nobody panic, we’ve got a plan.

We are #OKGNtech is a showcase of Okanagan tech entrepreneurs, partners, supporters, and cheerleaders designed to fuel more connection, more growth, and more excitement. Follow along on the blog and on Instagram @OKGNtech to learn more about our growing community and what makes them awesome.

Meet Ty. Ty Summach is the Co-founder and Chief Marketing Officer of SportsShare and an Executive-in-Residence with Accelerate Okanagan. When he’s not improving the lives of kids through sport, you’ll find Ty enjoying some quality time out with his family.

Where do you work in the Okanagan? 

I wear a few different hats in the Okanagan but my primary focus right now is on my new company SportsShare. It’s an online marketplace for sports education, which launches early this summer. I’m the Co-founder and Chief Marketing Officer so, my role is really to reduce complexity. I also support entrepreneurs as an Executive-in-Residence (EiR) with Accelerate Okanagan.

What do you enjoy most about your role? 

I’ve got a ton of empathy for the community that SportsShare aims to support. I really enjoy the daily challenge of continuing to create an impact for everyone that we’re able to connect with. We’re one of the few platforms that succeeds if we get you away from a screen and I’m a big believer in that.

How did you get into this kind of work?

When I worked at Disney, our core mission was to create safe and responsible online communities for families. The only problem was that online games didn’t resonate with me. I’ve always been passionate about sports and I wanted to make sure children weren’t coming home from school and sitting in front of a screen. I wanted to apply Disney’s mission to the sports marketplace and help families get outside and play.

What advice would you give to someone interested in a job like yours? 

You need to do what you love. Full stop. Work is going to fill a massive part of your life and the only way to truly be successful is to believe that you’re doing great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. For people who haven’t found that work yet, or aren’t sure what they love, keep looking and never give in.

How were you first introduced to the OKGNtech community? 

One of the things I realized while I was working with Disney is that we were in a bit of a bubble. You didn’t know what was beyond those walls. When I left to help start Hyper Hippo, I got introduced to the #OKGNtech community and all that it had to offer. From that point on, it’s been a natural evolution of getting more and more involved in the community as it grew—that includes becoming an EiR with Accelerate Okanagan.

What do you enjoy about the OKGNtech community?

The community itself. I love connecting with strong founders and individuals who have decided to build something in the Okanagan, reinvest in the community and create jobs.

Do you think there is anything missing from the community here?

Now that we are coming back out of the pandemic, we need more killer local events. At least once per year, we need to create a compelling reason for the tech industry to congregate in Kelowna.  From that, more people will get to know the local tech scene, lowering the barrier for new talent to move here, invest here, and spend more time in the Okanagan.

What’s the best piece of advice you often share with others?

Never give in. Everyone can come up with a great idea that gets them excited but seeing that through to completion requires a lot of perseverance. Disappointment, pain, failure, resistance, setbacks, criticism—it will happen. It’s part of the process and you need to go through it on your path to success. Whatever your great idea looks like to you, expect that it will challenge you and never give in.

Connect with Ty. Learn more about SportsShare or Accelerate Okanagan. Ready for more? Meet Brittany.